


Binks'

by Angel1622



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alcohol, Emotions, Nakamaship, Post-Time Skip, Serious Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:13:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23592880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel1622/pseuds/Angel1622
Summary: „There you are.”He doesn’t even bother raising his head anymore, letting it hang loosely as he supports himself with his arms – one on the swords’ hilts and the second one laid on the counter, fingers clenched tightly around a bottle. It didn’t take two nor three gulps to make him feel better so he’s pretty sure the following ones won’t do any better, but he keeps trying anyway.“Look at me when I’m talking to you, shitty swordsman.”For all the good things come to an end, it was time to bid adieu.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 50





	Binks'

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Easter everyone!  
> I haven't posted anything for a while now, but here you go - another impromptu of mine. I hope you'll enjoy it!  
> I was kinda screwed when naming it because hell if I knew if it's Binks' or Bink's, but I've done my research and as far as I know it should probably be Binks'. More on that in the note at the end.  
> This fic is set post-timeskip. Where specifically, no one knows.  
> Have fun!

„There you are.”

He doesn’t even bother raising his head anymore, letting it hang loosely as he supports himself with his arms – one on the swords’ hilts and the second one laid on the counter, fingers clenched tightly around a bottle. It didn’t take two nor three gulps to make him feel better so he’s pretty sure the following ones won’t do any better, but he keeps trying anyway.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you, shitty swordsman.”

“If you’re here to put up a fight, I’m not in the mood.” Says Zoro, but he knows damn well the cook isn’t going to aim any of his kicks at him anytime soon. Even his voice gives out he’s exhausted, and from what the swordsman can hear, he’s swaying slightly with every consecutive step.

“Chopper said to call you.”

The swordsman eventually raises his head and finally looks at the cook. He has dark circles under his eyes and he’s slightly crooked, it makes him look like the shadow of his usual self. His left arm is bent in the elbow and covered in thick dressings, one of his legs is also covered in dressings and his clothes are stained red in many places. Zoro can imagine that the man’s torso is also covered in bandages.

“I don’t need help.” He snaps but they both know it’s a lie as the red long gash going from the swordsman’s forearm and reaching half his chest won’t close itself without the ship doctor’s assistance. “Tell him to take care of the others first.”

“There are no _others._ ” The cook leans on the wall and pulls out a pack of cigarettes. “Chopper has taken care of Luffy, Usopp and me and Franky is a goddamned cyborg, he takes care of himself.”

“The girls?”

“Of course they’re safe.” The cook snorts half-heartedly, hiding the box and pulling out his lighter instead. After a few fruitless tries to set the cigarette in his mouth on fire he curses “It’s a pain in the ass lighting them up with one hand only.”

“Wouldn’t have the problem if you weren’t blind.” Says Zoro, leaning his head back. _If you didn’t put the girls’ lives over your own every fucking time_ he doesn’t. He’s too tired to argue over such trivial matters anyway.

The only response he gets is another snort, but he knows he’s made his point. Zoro slowly gets up, tossing the empty bottle to the other man and wiping his mouth with his forearm. He knows he looks like shit and Chopper will smell the alcohol from a mile, but priorities change when you’re on war. What he managed to swallow doesn’t make him feel drunk even in the slightest anyway.

Chopper’s eyes are so puffed and wet Zoro wonders if the reindeer can actually see anything. Neither of them speaks up as Chopper examines the swordsman’s wounds and prepares the necessary dressings. The silence is heavy and it fills the air, slowly choking Zoro as watching Chopper in such state almost hurts.

“This may hurt a little.” Says the doctor as he starts pouring some liquid on the cut on Zoro’s forearm and chest, but the swordsman doesn’t even flinch. This pain is nothing he can’t handle, and stating otherwise would surely concern the other Strawhat even if he’ll deny it.

“Hey.” He says eventually. “How are others? I saw something really nasty happened to the cook’s arm.”

“They’re fine.” Chopper’s quiet voice makes it hard for Zoro to tell just how much truth there was in his words. “Luffy and Usopp are already much better than they were, and thanks to Sanji Nami and Robin didn’t need my help. They only went with a couple of scratches. Sanji though…” he hangs his voice and Zoro knows that the reindeer is probably choking down tears at the moment.

“You don’t have to tell me if it’s so hard.” He says trying to sound apologetic, but all that gets out of him is a gloomy, tired grunt.

“No, it’s okay.” The doctor says after a moment while putting on a brave face and his unsteady tone is the only thing to belie him. “Sanji will also get out of this in one piece, you guys heal really fast. He probably won’t be able to use his other hand for a while, but no permanent damage has been done.”

Now when Zoro thinks about it, letting the cook go with Brook, Nami and Robin wasn’t the best of ideas. Of course, it was a good choice when it came to creating a stealth team, but it was to be expected things would end up the way they did if they slipped somewhere.

“Thanks a lot.” He says when the doctor is done with treating his wounds and slowly stands up, moving his arms around to see his new temporary range of movement. They all have to be prepared for another battle anytime now. The war wasn’t over yet and now that they are pretty weak, with half of the crew members injured, it’s to be expected someone would take interest in attacking them before reconciliation.

* * *

“I brought you something you’d like.” The sound of Sanji’s voice visibly surprises Chopper as he nearly jumped in his seat, immediately turning towards the cook.

“Sanji.” He says slowly, his voice cracking slightly. “I didn’t notice you coming in.”

“Well, now you do.” The cook slowly puts the plate on Chopper’s desk. He managed to find the ingredients for some simple sweets and milk. It’s all he can do for him right now, but it’s still far too little. “Mind if I join you for a little?”

Chopper shakes his head slowly, giving the cook a silent sign to take a sear. Sanji feels a little sorry as he probably reeks of tobacco, but truth be known, he’d probably be smoking another one or three right now if he was outside the infirmary. He still can’t calm down. All he can do is sigh slightly and try to relax his muscles, still a little stiff and tense. The plaster and bandages his arm is in annoy the hell out of him and he’s exhausted.

“Sanji.” The reindeer speaks up after a few moments of pure silence hanging between them. “I didn’t say that out loud when I was treating your wounds, but you should be more careful about yourself.” Sanji loathes to hear that but somewhere inside he knows the doctor is right. “I wouldn’t be able to put your arm together if Brook–“ Chopper lets out a choked sob. “I’m so sorry!”

“Don’t be.” The cook inhales deeply, his eyes wandering to the ceiling. The last thing this ship needed is the doctor blaming himself for what happened. “You saved my life. Anyway, I talked to Luffy. We’ll be leaving shortly after sunset. He wants to say goodbye first.”

“…Okay.” Sanji can clearly see the reindeer’s eyes filling up with tears again and even though he wouldn’t admit it out loud, it makes his heart ache. He feels even heavier when he realizes he couldn’t do anything when the doctor was desperately fighting for their lives, other than standing and watching him patch up all the nasty cuts and scratches and everything else anyone came to him with.

“Hey, Chopper.” He nags gently, smiling warmly. “You’re the best doctor I know.”

“Your compliment doesn’t make me happy, idiot.”

Something in Sanji’s throat clenches when he realizes that the doctor isn’t lying at all.

* * *

„You weren’t there.” Says Nami, her voice almost turning into a whisper. “So how dare you judge either of us?”

“I’m not judging anyone.” Zoro narrows his eyes slightly. “But I’m not going to stand by and watch you blame Brook and the cook for saving your goddamn life.” It is impossible not to notice how the navigator’s eyes widen slightly at his words, even if she masks it well with an annoyed expression splits of seconds later.

“Of course _you_ wouldn’t understand.” She snorts after a moment. “How can the almighty Roronoa fucking Zoro know how it feels to be saved by someone, huh? What do _you_ know?”

“Don’t sat it like that, witch.” He almost growls, rebuking himself because he is _not_ going to get mad at Nami right now of all times. They’re all tired and angry and a fight is the worst possible thing that could happen right now.

“Did I hit a soft spot?” Her sly smirk belies the sympathetic tone of her speech. “I beg your pardon, the future greatest good-for-nothing!”

“Now you’ve gone too far!” Zoro’s hand involuntarily clenches around the hilt of Wado, _almost_ drawing it before a shade of fear crosses Nami’s face, hidden well enough to seem just like the work of one’s imagination, but not enough to fool the swordsman.

He instantly lets go of the weapon as though it has just burned him, mentally cursing himself. How could he even _think_ of drawing his sword against a crewmate

“I’m so-“ he starts, but Nami’s raised hand shuts him up. She shakes her head slowly, letting out a short sigh.

“No.” She says with slight resignation. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I shouldn’t vent my anger at either you or Sanji. It’s just so frustrating.” Zoro can’t help but notice how miserable the navigator looks right now.

“What is?” he asks eventually.

“Oh, come on.” Nami stops there, for a moment thinking of what to say next. “Anyway… I hate when he does this. No matter how much money I make him owe me, this whole time it’s _me_ who’s indebted to _him_. But he speaks of it as if it was nothing. And Brook…” she bites her lip and the swordsman sees how her eyes begin to water.

“You’re not to blame for what happened.” As soon as the words leave Zoro’s mouth he knows it’s pointless to say them out loud because Nami isn’t dumb or blind, but for some reason keeps talking anyway. “It’s natural they would protect you and Robin. That’s the way they were brought up. Both Brook and the dartbrow.”

“And what did it bring them?” She narrows her eyes slightly, looking him straight in the eye. “Zoro, you saw how injured Sanji was. It’s a miracle Chopper was able to put his arm back. And Brook…” she shakes her head, stopping there. “Look, you guys all act like nothing can touch you, like before we reach One Piece you have some sort of immortality and that even if you don’t, Chopper will bring you back on your feet, but let me tell you something…”

“Nami…” he says, trying to sound calm and indifferent, but she shushes him.

“You are not indestructible!” she spits out, blinking fast. “You guys are only human but put your lives on stake as if it was child’s play. And you know what?.” She clenches her fists, pointing her head at the galley. “Today we got the best proof of that!”

An words Zoro prepared to respond with got stuck in his throat immediately. He looks down slightly, knowing that Nami is right. Of course, he’s ready to give up his life for Luffy’s dream and death doesn’t scare him, but somewhere in the back of his mind he’s sure all the Strawhats were going to reach the One Piece with their captain. He’s never really thought of any other possibilities and he realization that there, in fact, _are_ other possibilities strikes him like a wave.

“Look.” A single tear makes its way out of Nami’s eyes and trails down her cheek as she speaks up. “I’m not ungrateful towards people who risk their lives for me, because as far as they come out of it okay everything’s fine. But there is no guarantee they will, just like no one can say for sure we’ll live to see another day. And trust me on this, having a friend’s blood on your hands is horrifying. It keeps you up at night.” That said, she turns around and walks away, leaving the swordsman alone with his thoughts. He curses loudly, leaning on the railing and watching the sun lazily hide behind the vast ocean.

It’s about time to set sail.

* * *

Sanji watches the small boat floating not so far away from Sunny and grits his teeth. Everyone’s already on the upper deck, standing nearby the railing and looking at the tiny ship being nudged by waves, one after another.

Without a word, he opens a bottle and pours its content into eight small cups. Nobody says anything as he walks to each of his crewmates and hands them the vessels. Even looking at them is painful right now. They look like shadows of themselves and the cook knows he’s not better.

“Franky.” He says and the shipwright answers him with a nod, taking out a tone dial that once belonged to Brook and presses it. Sanji puts the bottle away and takes his cup, moving closer to the railing so that the whole crew is now standing in a row. The well-known melody starts playing.

“Let’s sing this one together.” Luffy says quietly. “For Brook.”

Sanji takes out a pack of cigarettes and puts one in his mouth, but before he gets the chance to light it up, it’s pulled out from his mouth. He looks at Nami with raised eyebrows, but she only shakes her head slowly and tosses the tobacco roll into the waves.

_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho…_

They all sound quite pitiful as their throats are clenched and the cook can hear muffled sobs, but luckily Brook’s confident voice is there to support them.

_Gather up all of the crew  
It’s time to ship out Binks’ brew.  
Sea wind blows. To where, who knows?  
The waves will be our guide…_

He looks closer at the small boat. It's impressive how Franky managed to create it from scraps. It looks glorious in the dark water, swaying gently and for a moment the cook can _swear_ it fits the song’s rhythm. The violin rests peacefully on board, in its only rightful place.

_All across the ocean’s tide,  
rays of sunshine far and wide.  
Birds they sing of cheerful things.  
In circles passing by…_

Sanji stops singing. He knows how wrong it is as he should do it for Brook, but he _can’t_. No sounds make it out of his throat as he chokes them down, gritting his teeth. God, is he lucky for standing with Nami on his left. This way she won’t see how he suddenly starts blinking rapidly.

_Bid farewell to weaver’s town,  
say so long to port renowned.  
Sing a song, it won’t be long  
before we’re casting off._

He notices Luffy nodding slightly at Usopp while still singing with a cracked voice, not trying to hide his tears. The brave warrior takes out his slingshot and slowly aims for the boat. His eyes are red and filled with water, but Sanji knows Usopp won’t miss. Not now, of all times.

_Cross the gold and silver seas,_   
_as salty spray puts us at ease._   
_Day and night, to our delight…_

The flames are spreading slowly, embracing the boat together with the violin, top hat and the purple cane in a warm tight hug. At this rate no one is singing anymore. This is the second time they have to bid adieu to their comrade. A proof of their failure. Sanji hates it but on the other hand he’d feel guilty if they didn’t say goodbye. It hurts him because it wasn’t Brook’s time to kick the bucket. He had something to do first.

Luffy’s cry tears the air and it’s the most painful sound Sanji has ever heard. He wants to close his eyes but it would be a disgrace to take them off a seen off friend.

_…The voyage never ends._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading my work!  
> Can I just briefly mention how much I love Binks' sake? I thought of putting the lyrics in japanese here but since I, and I'm pretty sure most of you guys, don't know the language well enough to make anything out other than a bunch of simple phrases I gave it up. Not to mention I'm not a huge fan of mixing english and japanese if not neccessary.
> 
> Back to the Binks'/Bink's matter - feel free to discuss it with me guys, because I'd love to know if I'm wrong but I'll briefly explain my thoughts on the subject.  
> Well, the japanese name of the song is Binkusu no sake (ビンクスの酒), which taken that "no" is kind of the possesive 's here means that the primitive form of the noun would be Binks - which after adding the possesive 's turns into Binks'. I think it makes sense but again I'm no expert on either of the languages. The whole situation just makes me quite confused because it's spelled both ways quite often when I google it. But since I couldn't really come up with another name for this story I thought I could as well ask you guys and get rid of any doubts :D
> 
> Stay safe and healthy guys, see you soon!


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